Tangerine Dream is a German electronic band established in 1969 by Edgar Froese (1944–2015). They emerged at the forefront of the Krautrock movement with the 1970 Ohr release Electronic Meditation, recorded by the original trio with Klaus Schulze and Conrad Schnitzler. Froese reconfigured the group with Christopher Franke and Steve Schroyder for their 1971 second […]
Kraftwerk are a German electronic group formed in Düsseldorf by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider, who steered the band from avant-garde krautrock to streamlined machine music. Their early albums (Kraftwerk, Kraftwerk 2, Ralf & Florian) fused analog electronics with flute, violin, and organ in longform instrumental passages. With Autobahn (1974), Kraftwerk embraced motorik rhythm and […]
Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou (March 29, 1943 — May 17, 2022) was a Greek electronic musician and composer, known professionally as Vangelis. He emerged as the keyboardist of The Forminx, a popular Greek beat group. In 1967, he formed Aphrodite’s Child, which made nine singles and three albums, culminating with the 1972 double-album 666. Midway through […]
Jean-Michel Jarre is a French keyboardist and sound technician who emerged in the early 1970s, first as a soundtrack composer. He gained global prominence with his 1976 release Oxygène, which brought electronic music to a wider audience. During the ensuing quarter-century, he released fifteen-plus titles on Disques Dreyfus. Background Jean-Michel Jarre was born in Lyon, […]
Klaus Schulze (1947–2022) was a German keyboardist, percussionist, and producer who played in the initial lineups of Tangerine Dream and Ash Ra Tempel. In 1972, he debuted as a solo artist with the album Irrlicht on Ohr. Twelve further albums appeared between 1973 and 1980, mostly on Brain. Background Klaus Schulze was born on August […]
Cybotron was an Australian electronic combo from Melbourne that released a 1976 self-titled album on Clear Light of Jupiter, followed by Colossus (1978, Champagne) and Implosion (1980, Cleopatra). Their co-founder, keyboardist–saxist Steve Maxwell Von Braund, preceded Cybotron with a 1975 solo album, Monster Planet. Members: Steve Maxwell Von Braund (keyboards, synthesizer, saxophone, percussion), Geoff Green […]
Heldon was a French avant-garde/electronic band that released three albums in 1974/75 on Disjuncta, followed by four further titles (1976–79) on Urus, Cobra, and Egg. Concurrently, mastermind Richard Pinhas made synth-based solo albums. Heldon’s sound combined elements of free-psych Krautrock and the Berlin School with the looped minimalism of Brian Eno‘s work with Robert Fripp. […]
Synergy is the recording/performance moniker of American electronic musician Larry Fast (born December 10, 1951), who released seven albums between 1975 and 1982 on Passport Records. Fast pioneered structured, orchestral synthesizer compositions that blended sequenced rhythms with layered textures. His 1975 debut Electronic Realizations for Rock Orchestra introduced the Synergy sound, followed by Sequencer, Cords, […]
Cluster was a German electronic/experimental combo from Berlin, formed in 1969 as a trio. After two albums under the name Kluster, founder Conrad Schnitzler launched a solo career. Drummer/keyboardist Moebius and cellist/keyboardist Hans-Joachim Roedelius continued as Cluster. They made two albums on Philips and the 1974 Brain release Zuckerzeit, followed by two albums as Harmonia […]
Ash Ra Tempel was a German space-rock band that released four albums between 1971 and 1973 on Ohr. Guitarist/keyboardist Manuel Göttsching made a 1975 solo album then trimmed the name to Ashra for a late-Seventies run on Virgin Records. Members: Manuel Göttsching (guitar, vocals, electronics), Hartmut Enke (bass, guitar, electronics, 1970-73), Klaus Schulze (drums, steel […]
Brainticket was a Swiss Krautrock band the made the 1970–73 albums Cottonwoodhill, Psychonaut, and Celestial Ocean. Between the first two, keyboardist Joel Vandroogenbroeck performed with Drum Circus. He resurrected Brainticket for the 1980–82 albums Adventure and Voyage. Members: Joel Vandroogenbroeck (flute, keyboards, vocals), Ron Bryer (guitar), Werni Fröhlich (bass), Hellmuth Kolbe (keyboards), Cosimo Lampis (drums), […]
Zanov is the performance name of French electronic musician Pierre Salkazanov, who released two albums in the Berlin School-vein in 1976 and 1977. A third album followed in 1983, after which he went quiet until the 2010s when a growing cult around his reissued works prompted a comeback. Since 2014, he has released two CDs […]
Patrick Vian (April 12, 1942 – February 24, 2023) was a French guitarist and keyboardist who played in the avant-psych band Red Noise during the early 1970s. In 1976, he released the popular electronic album Bruits et Temps Analogues on Barclay-subsidiary Egg. Background Patrick Vian was born on April 12, 1942, in Paris and raised […]
Dionne-Brégent were a Québécois symphonic/electronic duo that released the 1976/77 Capitol albums ..Et le Troisième Jour and Deux. They specialized in instrumental soundscapes that fused chamber textures with pitch percussion, spacious metal drone, and Berlin-school ambience. Members: Vincent Dionne (percussion), Michel-Georges Brégent (keyboards) Background Dionne-Brégent were a Québécois symphonic/electronic duo that formed in Montréal in […]
Neuronium are a Spanish electronic combo from Barcelona, formed in 1976 by keyboardist Michel Huygen. In 1977, the band debuted with Quasar 2c361, their first of two albums on Harvest. Starting with their 1980 album Digital Dream, they released music on the self-run Neuronium Records. Members: Michel Huygen (keyboards), Carlos Guirao (keyboards, guitar, 1976-82), Albert […]
Syrinx was a Canadian electronic/psych band from Toronto that released the 1970/71 True North albums Syrinx and Long Lost Relatives. They featured ex-Intersystems/Kensington Market keyboardist John Mills-Cockell, who issued multiple solo titles and soundtracks. Members: John Mills-Cockell (piano, organ), Doug Pringle (saxophone), Malcolm Tomlinson (drums, vocals), Allan Wells (percussion) Background Syrinx formed in Toronto in […]
Edgar Froese (June 5, 1944 — January 20, 2015) was a German multi-instrumentalist best known as the mastermind behind electronic pioneers Tangerine Dream, which he founded in 1967 and led for nearly five decades. In 1974, he debuted as a solo artist with the album Aqua on Brain Metronome. Between 1975 and 1983, he released […]
Ashra was the solo vehicle of German electronic musician and Ash Ra Tempel mastermind Manuel Göttsching. Under the Ashra name, he made the 1976/77 albums New Age of Earth and Blackouts. He formed a trio with keyboardist Lutz Ulbrich and drummer/synthesist Harald Grosskopf for the 1979/80 Ashra albums Correlations and Belle Alliance, all on Virgin […]
Space was a French electro/space-funk band that released four albums between 1977 and 1980 on Vogue. Members: Didier Marouani [aka “Ecama”] (synthesizers, 1977-79, 1982-present), Roland Romanelli (synthesizers, 1977-80), Joe Hammer (drums, percussion, 1977-78), Cissy Stone (vocals, 1980), Jannik Top [aka Yannick Top] (bass, 1980), Patrice Tison (guitar, 1980) Background Space formed in France in 1977 […]
Stardrive was an American electro-jazz/funk band that released the album Intergalactic Trot on Elektra in 1973, followed by a self-titled album on Columbia in 1974. Members: Harvey Sarch (Guitar), Howard Rego (Drums), Jaime Austria (Bass), Robert Mason (Synthesizer) Background Stardrive was named after a hybrid synthesizer created by Robert Mason (b. 1946), a classically trained […]
Space Art was a French electronic music duo formed in Paris by keyboardist Dominique Perrier and drummer Roger “Bunny” Rizzitelli. Between 1977 and 1980, Space Art released three albums and three singles, selling more than three million records worldwide. In 1981, they joined Jean-Michel Jarre on his groundbreaking tour of China. Members: Dominique Perrier (keyboards), […]
Logic System is a Japanese electronic music project led by synthesizer programmer and composer Hideki Matsutake (松武秀樹, b. August 12, 1951, Yokohama). The project launched in 1981 and released three studio albums on Toshiba-EMI’s Express sublabel over eighteen months. Each album adopted a distinct concept and approach, with the first built from sequenced machine rhythms, the […]
Rainbow Generator was the Australian experimental electronic duo of synthesist Robert “Ras” Greaves and guitarist–synthesist David “Mojo” Labuschagne. They released the 1978 Fission Chips album Dance of the Spheres, then continued as the Generator and joined magician-performer Geof Krozier for the 1981 double album Tranceformer. Members: Robert Greaves [aka Ras] (synthesizers, rhythm machines, percussion), David Labuschagne [aka […]
Anna Själv Tredje was a Swedish electronic duo that released the popular album Tussilago Fanfara on the Silence label in 1977. Keyboardist Ingemar Ljungström subsequently headed the space-rock/coldwave combos Cosmic Overdose and Twice a Man. Members: Ingemar Ljungström [aka Karl Gasleben] (keyboards), Mikael Bojén (keyboards, guitar) Formation Anna Själv Tredje centered on the musical partnership […]
Richard Pinhas (born May 7, 1951) is a French guitarist, keyboardist, and composer who headed the experimental combo Heldon during the 1970s. Between 1977 and 1982, he released five solo albums on Cobra and Pulse. Background Richard Pinhas is a French guitarist, keyboardist, and composer who emerged in the early 1970s through the psych-rock group […]
Besombes-Rizet were a French electronic/experimental duo that released the 1975 double-album Pôle on namesake Pôle Records. Members: Philippe Besombes, Jean-Louis Rizet Background Besombes-Rizet began as a Paris collaboration in 1974 when composer-keyboardist Philippe Besombes met multi-instrumentalist Jean-Louis Rizet during work for a ballet. Besombes was born Philippe Pierre Dominique Besombes in 1946 and grew up […]
Peter Baumann is a German keyboardist and percussionist who served as a member of Tangerine Dream from 1972 through 1977. While still a member of the band, he made his solo debut with the 1976 Virgin release Romance 76. Between 1979 and 1982, he released two further albums on the label and also cut a […]
Tim Blake (born Feb. 6, 1952) is an English electronic musician from London who played in Gong between 1973 and 1975 under the alias Hi. T. Moonweed, appearing on the albums Flying Teapot, Angel’s Egg, and You. In 1977, he released the album Crystal Machine on Barclay-subsidiary Egg. After a second solo album for the […]
You was the German electro/space-rock band behind the 1980 album Electric Day, followed by the 1982–84 Rock City titles Time Code and Wonders From the Genetic Factory. Their final album, Laserscape, appeared in 1986 on Racket. Members: Ulrich Weber (guitar, gongs), Udo Hanten (synthesizer, loops), Albin Meskes (synthesizer, sequencer, Mellotron), Lhan Gopal [Harald Grosskopf] (drums, […]
White Noise was the electronic/experimental musical project of English keyboardist, composer, and double-bassist David Vorhaus. The project initially yielded the album An Electric Storm, recorded with members of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and released on Island in 1969. Vorhaus revitalized the White Noise nameplate for the album Concerto For Synthesizer on Virgin in 1975, followed […]
Hydravion was a French electronic combo that made a 1977 album on Cobra Records, followed by the 1979 Carrère release Stratos Airlines. Members: Philippe Besombes (Moog, synthesizers, Mellotron, electric piano, guitar, vocals), Cooky Rhinosceros (guitar), Patrick Verbeke (guitar), Christ Saint Roch (bass), Pierre Battaillet (drums), Dominique Esnault (drums) Background Hydravion began as a Paris studio […]
Wolfgang Riechmann (May 14, 1947 — Aug. 24, 1978) was a German keyboardist who joined Streetmark for their 1977 second album, Eileen. Concurrently, he prepared a solo album before his murder by two assailants on the streets of Düsseldorf. His only album, Wunderbar, appeared later that year on Sky Records. Background Wolfgang Riechmann got his […]
Einzelgänger — German for “individualist” — was the name used by Italian keyboardist/producer Giorgio Moroder for a 1975 electronic album, issued on his Oasis label with an accompanying single. Background Giorgio Moroder adopted the Einzelgänger for a dip into Berlin School experimentation. By this time, he’d already established himself as a key figure in early […]
Tonto’s Expanding Head Band was the electronic duo of English keyboard engineer Malcolm Cecil and American record producer Robert Margouleff. They released two albums: Zero Time (1971) and It’s About Time (1974). Their name derived from T.O.N.T.O., an acronym for The Original and New Timbral Orchestra: a polyphonic synthesizer arsenal that Cecil constructed for the […]
Pythagoron™ was an American ambient/drone project from NYC that self-released a 1977 mail-order album. Background New York-based Pythagoron, Inc. operated from a Grand Central Station post-office box and introduced the Pythagoron name through a 1977 mail-order campaign. The corporation advertised a stereo LP through High Times. Original sleeve labels identify no musician or composer. Pythagoron […]
Ose was a French electronic project formed by multi-instrumentalist Hervé Picart along with the core of Heldon. The project yielded the album Adonia, released in 1978 on Barclay-subsidiary Egg. Members: Hervé Picart (Moog, Hammond organ, guitar, bass), Richard Pinhas (Moog, synthesizer, sequencer, guitar), François Auger (drums) Background Ose formed in Paris in 1978 when French […]
Pôle was a French avant-garde/electronic group that made the 1975 albums Kotrill and Inside the Dream on Pôle Records. Members: Paul Putti (synthesizer, guitar, effects), Thierry Aubrun (effects, electronics), Daniel Bodon (electronics), Jean-Louis Rizet (synthesizer), Pierre Chavigny (electronics), Eric Dervieu (bass), Christian Rouch (vocals), Marc Azad (guitar) Background Pôle began in Paris in 1975 when […]
Steve Maxwell Von Braund is an Australian keyboardist and saxophonist who made the nation’s first electronic album, Monster Planet, released in 1975 on the experimental Clear Light of Jupiter label. Soon after, he formed Cybotron, a Kraut-inspired electronic combo that made three albums between 1976 and 1980. Background Steve Braund (b. 1947) grew up in […]
Zorch were an English electronic duo that formed as a four-piece in 1973, eventually pairing down to keyboardists Basil Brooks and Gwyo Ze Pix. In 1975, the pair recorded an album’s worth of material that was ultimately released a quarter-century later as Ouroboros on Zorch Records. Members: Basil Brooks (synthesizer), Gwyo Ze Pix (synthesizer) Ouroboros […]
Wavemaker was an English electronic duo that released the 1975–77 Polydor albums Where Are We Captain?… and New Atlantis. Members: Brian Hodgson, John Lewis Background Formed by BBC Radiophonic Workshop-vet/White Noise-cofounder Hodgson with Electrophon Studio cohort Lewis, the duo released two albums on Polydor with help from percussionist Jon Keliehor and kettledrummer Anthony McVey. Where […]
Peak was an Australian electronic duo that made the 1980 album Ebondàzzar on their self-run Cement Records imprint. Three years later, the album appeared abroad on Klaus Schulze‘s Innovative Communication label. Members: Paul Fisher, Robert Reekes-Parsons Background Peak formed in Adelaide, South Australia, when multi-instrumentalists Robert Reekes-Parsons and Paul Fisher teamed as an electronic duo. […]
Michael Rother is a German multi-instrumentalist who played in the bands NEU! and Harmonia during the early-to-mid 1970s. Between 1977 and 1987, he released seven albums on Polydor and Sky Records. Background Michael Carl Rother was born on September 2, 1950, in Hamburg, West Germany. His mother played classical piano while his father worked for […]
Michael Hoenig (born Jan. 4, 1952) is a German keyboardist who played in the bands Agitation Free and Tangerine Dream during the early-to-mid 1970s. In 1978, he released the electronic album Departure From the Northern Wasteland on Warner Bros. Discography: Departure From the Northern Wasteland (1978)
Michael Bundt (born March 23, 1949) is a German bassist and keyboardist who played in Nine Days Wonder during the early 1970s. Between 1977 and 1980, he released three electronic solo albums on Offers, Hansa, and Blubber Lips. Background Michael Bundt was born on March 23, 1949, in Mannheim, Germany. His father, Charlie Bundt (1928–1980), […]
Manuel Göttsching is a German guitarist who rose to prominence as the mastermind behind Ash Ra Tempel during the early 1970s. In 1975, he debuted as a solo artist with the album Inventions for Electric Guitar on Kosmische/Ohr. The following year, he resumed band activity in the electronic combo Ashra, which released four albums on […]
Roger Powell is an American keyboardist who released the 1973 electronic album Cosmic Furnace on Atlantic. In 1975, he joined Todd Rundgren in the second Utopia lineup for a ten-album run. His second solo album, Air Pocket, appeared in 1980 on the band’s Bearsville label. Background Roger Powell was born March 14, 1949, in Front […]
Serge Blenner is a French electronic musician who emerged with the 1980/81 albums La Vogue and Magazin Frivole on Sky Records, his label for twelve albums across eighteen years. Background Serge Blenner was born April 23, 1955, in Mulhouse, France. He taught himself piano at fourteen and later took harmony and composition courses at the […]
Earthstar was an American electronic combo that self-released the 1978 album Salterbarty Tales on Moontower Records, followed by the 1979–82 German Sky titles French Skyline, Atomkraft? Nein, Danke!, and Humans Only. Members: Andy Retscher, Bob Mishalanie, Craig Wuest, Dan Happ, Dan Zongrone, Daryl Trivieri, Dennis Rea, Louis Deponté, Melanie Coiro, Norm Peach, Tim Finnegan Background […]
SAB was a Japanese electronic musician who released the 1978 album Crystallization on Vanity Records. Background SAB was the mononym of an unidentified musician. At nineteen, he knew Rock Magazine editor Yuzuru Agi, who launched the Osaka-based Vanity Records label with the 1978 release Jyo by the ambient duo Dada. SAB conceived the project at home […]
Miha Kralj is a Slovenian electronic musician behind the 1980–82 RTB albums Andromeda and Odyssey, followed in 1985 with Electric Dreams. Background Miha Kralj was born on August 22, 1949, in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia. He received an accordion for his fifth birthday and entered music school at age six. His mother supported his musical education, which […]
Mother Mallard’s Portable Masterpiece Co. was an American electronic group that released a 1973 self-titled album on Earthquack, followed in 1976 with Like a Duck to Water. Further material, mostly Seventies archival tracks, later appeared on Cuneiform. Members: David Borden (Moog, Minimoog, electric piano), Steve Drews (Moog, Minimoog, electric piano), Linda Fisher (Moog, Minimoog, 1969-74), […]
Mort Garson (July 20, 1924 — Jan. 4, 2008) was a Canadian electronic musician and composer from Saint John, New Brunswick, who released a sting of Moog-psych albums on Elektra and A&M during the late 1960s, including a series of spoken word discs dedicated to the 12 signs of the zodiac. During the 1970s, he […]
John Mills-Cockell (born May 19, 1943) is a Canadian electronic musician who recorded three albums with the experimental combo Intersystems in 1967/68, followed by a brief stint with psych-rockers Kensington Market. He then formed the electronic trio Syrinx, which issued two albums in 1970/71 on True North. As a solo artist, he released two albums […]
Pascal Languirand is a French-Canadian keyboardist who released the 1978 album Minos on Kébec-Disc, followed by the 1980/81 titles De Harmonia Universalia and Vivre Ici Maintenant (soundtrack) on the self-operated Minos label. He formed the subsequent synthpop combo Trans-X. Background Pascal Languirand was born May 3, 1955, in Paris, France, to Canadian parents. His father, […]
Cultural Noise was an Austrian electronic trio that released the 1980 CBS album Aphorisms Insane. Two-thirds of the band resumed as Bizarre Ko.Ko.Ko. Walter Heinisch appears on over 25 compilations on the Cosmos library label. Members: Gerhard Lisy, Karl Kronfeld, Walter Heinisch Inception Cultural Noise formed with synthesists Gerhard Lisy and Karl Kronfeld teamed with […]
Nicolas Pascal Raicevic (Oct. 12, 1933 — Dec. 1, 1994) was an American electronic musician who released five albums between 1969 and 1975 on self-press Narco Records. Background Nicolas Pascal Raicevic was born Oct. 12, 1933, and reached Los Angeles around 1962 from Paris. Raicevic worked as a painter and professional photographer and operated the […]
Michael Garrison (Nov. 28, 1956 — March 24, 2004) was an American electronic musician from Roseburg, Ore., who released nine studio albums between 1979 and 1998 on Windspell Records. Background Michael Earl Garrison was born on November 28, 1956, in Roseburg, Oregon. He played piano from childhood and took interested in synthesizers through Switched-On Gershwin, the […]
F.G. Experimental Laboratory was the electronic-music project of Swiss multi-instrumentalist Frédy Guye, who self-released the 1975 album Journey Into a Dream and its 1980 followup Hope. Background Frédy Guye was born March 9, 1947, in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. In 1960, Guye moved to Chézard-Saint-Martin in the canton of Neuchâtel. He took piano lessons as a […]
Wolfgang Düren is a German electronic musician who served as a late-Seventies sequencer programmer for Tangerine Dream. As a recording artist, he released the 1980 album Eyeless Dreams on WPL Records. He subsequently went into keyboard distribution and by 1988 founded Waldorf Electronics, a synthesizer manufacturer. Background Wolfgang Düren was born on July 9, 1956, […]
Georges Grunblatt is a French keyboardist, guitarist, and saxist who was a member of Heldon between 1974 and 1976, playing on the band’s first four albums. In 1980, he released the album K-Priss on Ramsès. Background Georges Grünblatt was born in November 1951 and later studied medicine and philosophy in Paris. He began classical piano […]
Dominique Guiot is a French electronic/library musician who issued six albums on assorted labels between 1978 and 1987, starting with the now-popular Chicago 2000 release L’univers de la Mer. Background Dominique Guiot was born in France in 1950, the son of a musician father who taught him guitar. Guiot studied mathematics at Université Paris VII-Jussieu, […]
Didier Bocquet is a French electronic musician who released the 1977 album Eclipse on Le Kiosque D’Orphée, followed by three further titles through 1983 on F.L.V.M. and Pulse. Background Didier Bocquet was born in 1957 and began playing drums with local groups in Bourges at age twelve. In 1976, Bocquet sold his drum kit and […]
